“The campaigns are reaching out to youth and minority communities like never before. Youth are engaged, and I think they’ll make a difference.”
Biography: Suzanne Pritzker has been volunteering to work on political campaigns and social action activities since her high school years in Alexandria, Va. Her dedication to civic involvement continues to grow in both her personal life and academic career.
Pritzker is a doctoral candidate in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. Her research includes the civic engagement of adolescents focusing primarily on the development of political involvement among low-income, minority adolescents. She has extensively studied the short-term impact of adolescent volunteerism. Pritzker also has been involved with policy analysis and program evaluation work for the Office of the Virginia Secretary of Education and the Virginia Legislature.
This election year, Pritzker is leading a survey of Washington University students’ political views and behaviors. The study is being conducted in conjunction with the WUSTL Gephardt Institute for Public Service, which promotes civic involvement across campus.
To Pritzker, the most exciting aspect of hosting the vice presidential debate is the opportunity to involve young people. “Students have been holding political awareness events since the beginning of the semester. On this campus—in a swing state—the youth are engaged, and I think they’ll make a difference,” she says. “It’s also interesting to watch how the campaigns are reaching out to the youth and minority communities like never before.”
Hometown: Alexandria, VA
Major/minor: Doctoral student in social work
Student contact information: Cell: (607) 339-1550 E-mail: spritzker@wustl.edu